Looking to make your web browser a little more blue?  I am here to give the Bluetacular theme for Firefox two thumbs up, for an original look and feel when it comes to giving Firefox a new face.

While the color choices used in the theme might be too busy for some, I do have to give the designer of this theme credit for bringing an original design idea and concept into his work.  As the notes on this release say, this is a work in progress too – so if you like this theme, it will only get better from here.

Let us all go check out this theme (you can download it from the Firefox Add-ons web site) and help encourage this new theme designer to keep up the good work.

There will be no more updates for Firefox 3.0.x anymore, so if you haven’t upgraded to Firefox 3.6 – you had better hurry up and do so.  That was the official word from Mozilla on the topic in a recent meeting.

Now this might disappoint a handful of users out there, but it is nice to see Mozilla being more future focused – looking to get upgrades and updates out faster to the most recent Firefox versions. 

Firefox 3.0 will be looked back upon with great admiration.  It was the version of Firefox that set the Guinness world record for downloads in a 24-hour period, after all.

So now the question is – are you still using Firefox 3.0, and if the answer is yes, let us know “why” in the comments.

Want to clear any stored information about one web site in particular, without clearing out all of your browser’s history files?  Hidden deep within the Firefox browser, there is a way to clear Firefox’s history for just one single web site.  You just have to know where to look.

From the Firefox menu bar, click on History and then Show All History. This should pull up the Library window.  Now, in the Library’s search box (located in the top-right corner) type in the name of the web site you want to forget. 

Scroll through your results, till you find the web site you wish to forget and select it.  Now, right-click on the entry and click, “Forget About This Site”.  All history items (browsing and download history, cookies, cache, active logins, passwords, saved form data, exceptions for cookies, images, pop-ups) will be removed only for that site. So be careful with using this choice and only use it if you really want Firefox to forget everything.

Now your browser history is cleared of that one annoying web site.

Having just installed the CyberSearch extension, I can tell you my new favorite feature is the ability to search the current web site you are surfing via Google. 

For example, say you are on FirefoxFacts.com and you want to search for “themes”.  With CyberSearch already installed, just go to the address bar and type in:

> themes

You will then be taken to a Google site search of FirefoxFacts.com for the word, “themes”.  Very nice.

It has been way too long since I have given a shout out to my good friends over at CyberNet News.  Go check out this most recent innovation to the CyberSearch extension over at CyberNetNews.com.

Rather than hunting down the X to close your current tab, what if all you had to do was wish upon a star, and then right click anywhere on the tab you wish to shut down?  I will let you know how to get that done, without the need of the “wishing upon a star” part.

The add-on you want to grab to get this done is Rights To Close.  This extension enables a user to close the current tab by simply right double-clicking, with your mouse, anywhere on the web page.   This cleverly named add-on works very well, and gets the job done. 

It is a tiny extension, but it is really handy to have.  You can pick up Rights To Close on the Firefox Add-ons web site.

This is one of the few dark Firefox themes I could see myself using on a regular basis.

BlackFox is a very nice looking dark theme, with just a hint of red to help highlight your selected browser elements.  The entire them has been designed to be focused, compact, and easy on the eyes. 

The theme’s author also promises that it is compatible with a long list of popular extensions too.

You can pick up BlackFox via the Firefox Add-ons web site or check out the theme’s official web site, at zigboom.com.

Simplification for web site logins is desperately needed.  Once upon a time, people thought Open ID might be the solution, but it has fizzled out.  Where is the future?  The Firefox Account Manager.

The Account Manager is a prototype that really makes things easy when it comes to logging into your favorite web sites.  You can login and logout, right from the toolbar.

How Does Account Manager Work?

I will let the fine people at Mozilla Labs explain that one:

We are proposing a new standard that Websites can implement, and although it is still an early draft, we’d love for you to check it out. We are particularly interested in feedback from Web developers and site administrators.

If you’re interested in hacking on the add-on, you can check out the source here. The project wiki page also has additional information.

Right now, the prototype they have posted only works with Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, Mozilla Addons, Mozilla Bugzilla, and Get Personas – but with time (they hope) every web site will support this new standard.  You can learn more about the Account Manager concept idea here:

• Account Manager Details at Mozilla Labs

Tell me what you think.  Does this new concept excite you, or do you want to see it in action a ‘bit more before you make up your mind?

The History Submenus extension for Firefox is here to make thumbing through the browser’s history easier.

The browsing history in Firefox is one of the most taken for granted features, that can sometimes produce amazing results.  Say you check out a web page today, never think about it again – and then tomorrow you say, “what did that article say again?”.  Just browse through your Firefox history, and you can find the answer. 

What the History Submenus add-on does different, is it places each day’s entire browsing history in a submenu of the history’s menu from the menu bar in Firefox.   Simply put, it makes the History menu much more usable. 

You can pick up the History Submenus add-on on the Firefox Add-on’s web site.

The Google Reader Watcher add-on is handy to have, because it will check your Google Reader for unread new posts.  You can use this to keep track of how many stories you have yet to read.  Checking Google Reader with this add-on is much more practical than visiting the Google Reader web site several times a day, for those RSS feed addicts out there like me.

Next, I would have to say the Better GReader add-on for Firefox is fantastic for Google Reader fans.

This add-on for Firefox bundles several great Greasemonkey user scripts into one extension.  Better GReader adds useful extra features to Google Reader, like feed favicons, inline article previews, and unread counts in your browser tab.

Want to integrate Google Reader into the Gmail inbox?  If so, check out the Integrated Gmail add-on for Firefox.  It gives you Gmail, Google Calander, Googler Reader, and more all from within your Gmail account.  The most recent revision added:

• Significant Performance Boosts and Reduced Resource Dependence
• (Beta) Google Wave Support
• Native Google Tasks Support
• Schedule Once Meeting Scheduler Integration
• Support for Firefox 3.6

Last but not least, we have Google Redesigned.

Tired of how Google Reader looks?  Want to give it a massive redesign?  This add-on for Firefox gives you a complete redesign of all Google’s most popular services (including Google Reader).

Now, let me know your favorite Firefox extension to use in conjunction with Google Reader.  Is it one of these I mentioned, or do you have another favorite I have yet to check out?  Let me know in the comments.

Also, remember to subscribe to Firefox Facts in Google Reader – cause you’d hate to miss another great collection of tips like this one!

Amazon.com is the Web’s version of Walmart.  Almost everything you could need is there, and they make it so simple to shop there and the prices so low, you cannot help but come back again and again for more.  If you find yourself turning to Amazon every time you order something online, then you might want to check out the Amazon Button add-on for Firefox.

The Directory of Amazon Goodness

With this extension installed, you can easily navigate through the most popular destinations on Amazon’s web site.  The default drop down menu selection is huge, because it lists every category Amazon covers for your shopping needs.   Users can add up to three custom menu items too.

Context Search and Customization

Once the Amazon Button is up and running in your Firefox browser, you can highlight any text, right-click and search Amazon.com for it.  You can also customize the destination for the main button itself. If you have a favorite Amazon.com page you would like to have quick and easy access to, this would be the place to point to it.

While there is an Amazon toolbar you can use too, I like the Amazon.com button because it provides all the same great tools with less of the clutter.  This is a must have add-on for Firefox if you are an Amazon shop-a-holic.

You can pick up the Amazon Button from the Firefox Add-ons web site.